Sprint plans 4G LTE rollout for 100 cities in "coming months"

Although it was the first to offer "4G" under its WiMax service, Sprint has fallen dreadfully behind likes of Verizon, AT&T and others as the industry's collective efforts began to pave the way for nationwide LTE proliferation.

Not to be left behind, Sprint has announced plans to catch up to its competition by deploying its own 4G LTE access to over 100 cities in the U.S.

While Sprint's eventual goal is to upgrade its entire, existing 3G infrastructure to 4G, the company says it will be offering 4G to certain cities within "the coming months".

Below is the list of cities expected to benefit from Sprint's wireless network refresh. Sprint warns that service may be unreliable in some areas until upgrades are officially completed.

Cities planned for Sprint 4G LTE rollout

Aguadilla-Isabela-San Sebastian, Puerto Rico

Albermarle, N.C.

Anderson, Ind.

Asheville, N.C.

Athens, Tenn.

Athens, Texas

Austin, Texas

Barnstable Town (Hyannis/Midcape), Mass.

Baton Rouge, La.

Bethesda-Rockville-Frederick, Md.

Boston

Cambridge-Newton-Framingham, Mass.

Charlotte, N.C.

Chattanooga, Tenn.

Chicago

Clarksville, Tenn.

Cleveland, Tenn.

Coamo, Puerto Rico

College Station, Texas

Columbia, Tenn.

Columbus, Ind.

Cookeville, Tenn.

Crossville, Tenn.

Daytona Beach-Deltona-Ormond Beach, Fla.

Elkhart-Goshen, Ind.

Fayetteville, N.C.

Fort Lauderdale-Pompano Beach-Deerfield Beach, Fla.

Gainesville, Fla.

Gary, Ind.

Goldsboro, N.C.

Greenville, N.C.

Greeneville, Tenn.

Guayama, Puerto Rico

Hammond, La.

Harriman, Tenn.

Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, N.C.

Houma-Bayou Cane-Thibodaux, La.

Hutchinson, Kan.

Indianapolis-Carmel, Ind.

Jacksonville, Fla.

Johnson City, Tenn.

Jonesboro, Ark.

Kankakee-Bradley-Bourbonnais, Ill.

Kerrville, Texas

Killeen-Temple-Fort Hood, Texas

Kingsport-Bristol, Tenn.

Kinston, N.C.

Knoxville, Tenn.

Lakeland-Winter Haven, Fla.

Lancaster, S.C.

Lawrence, Kan.

Lincolnton, N.C.

Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale, Calif.

Lumberton, N.C.

McPherson, Kan.

Memphis, Tenn.

Miami-Miami Beach-Kendall, Fla.

Morgan City, La.

Morristown, Tenn.

Mayaguez, Puerto Rico

Muncie, Ind.

Nashville, Tenn.

New Orleans

New York-White Plains-Wayne, N.Y.

Norfolk-Virginia Beach-Newport News, Va.

Ocala, Fla.

Ocean Pines, Md.

Palatka, Fla.

Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville, Fla.

Peabody/Lawrence-Methuen/Gloucester, Mass.

Philadelphia

Ponce, Puerto Rico

Port St. Lucie, Fla.

Roanoke Rapids, N.C.

Rochelle, Ill.

Rockford, Ill.

Rocky Mount, N.C.

Salina, Kan.

Salisbury, Md.

Salisbury, N.C.

San German-Cabo Rojo, Puerto Rico

San Juan, Puerto Rico

Sebastian-Vero Beach, Fla.

Sevierville, Tenn.

Shelby, N.C.

Southern Pines-Pinehurst, N.C.

Springfield, Mass.

Statesville-Mooresville, N.C.

St. Thomas, USVI

Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, Fla.

Topeka, Kan.

Tullahoma, Tenn.

Tupelo, Miss.

Warrensburg, Mo.

Washington, D.C.-Arlington-Alexandria, Va.

Waukegan-Lake County, Ill.

West Palm Beach-Boca Raton-Boynton Beach, Fla.

Wichita, Kan.

Wichita Falls, Texas

Wilson, N.C.

Worcester-Fitchburg-Leominster, Mass.

Yauco, Puerto Rico

This year, Sprint announced the imminent shut down of its Nextel network, an aging property acquired in 2005 during its Sprint-Nextel merger. The network's sunset will spell the end of Sprint's iDEN system, an increasingly archaic data network which offers download speeds of less than 100 Kbps.

The $36 billion dollar merger sounded slightly sweeter to investors than it may have actually been since the networks upon which the companies operated were not mutually compatible. The deal forced Sprint-Nextel to equip all of their cell towers with each other's radio equipment -- an undoubtedly expensive venture.

4G LTE is already available in several cities, according to Sprint. The carrier's coverage map can be found here.